Interview with Author Clara Grace Walker

Just in time for Valentine's Day, romance writer Clara Grace Walker tells all!

By Jess Yacovelle

Gossip by Clara Grace Walker

What do Gratification, Gossip and Redemption have in common? Why, they are all titles of books in Clara Grace Walker's Desire Never Dies series. Filled with romance, murder and mystery, these novels are perfect to help get you into the romantic, February mood! Pop culture queen Clara Grace Walker spilt all in our interview below, just in time for the impending Valentine's Day!

Did you always want to be a writer?

The short answer is yes. My 4th grade teacher was a wonderful woman with a love of books… a love she instilled in me. There was time for reading every day, and my imagination took flight. During that year, she chose me to be part of a Young Authors Conference, where we wrote our own little “books” (my first book, I guess you could say). [I] spent the day at a local university with students from other districts, sharing our work. My identity as an author was forged that day. I cannot stress enough the difference a good teacher can make in a student’s life.

You currently have a published trilogy called “Desire Never Dies.” What can you tell us about this trilogy?

The major characters in my stories tend to live what many consider to be “glamorous” lives. As my readers can attest, however, this in no way guarantees them happiness. No matter the exterior trappings, people are the same at their core, and my characters face plenty of challenges in the pages of my books. Some characters, in particular the hero and heroine, will rise to meet those challenges, while others will fall far short. There is also an element of danger the hero and heroine must face while battling the internal and external obstacles that keep them apart. I’ve also been known to have a body count by the time the book ends.

Though a continuing story, each book in the “Desire Never Dies” trilogy features a different hero and heroine and is written to be read as a stand–alone novel. I would recommend reading them in order, of course, to get the natural flow of the story.

“Desire Never Dies” has been described as a romantic–suspense trilogy. Why blend these genres?

Danger is known to heighten romance in real life, as well as in fiction. As an anecdote along these lines, I spent the year of 2015 creating Facebook posts featuring trivia about romance, soap operas and suspense, which I called my “Bubble Gum and Razor Blades” trivia series. One of the facts I came across while researching trivia for these posts was that couples who went on thrilling or adventurous dates actually became more emotionally bonded. Throwing my characters into suspenseful, dangerous situations forces them to become vulnerable to each other and admit their feelings, probably sooner than would realistically happen otherwise. I also love both romance and suspense, so it seems only natural to me that these genres go together. To me, they’re like the peanut butter and jelly of the book world.

What inspires your books?

I can sum the answer to this question up in one word: life. People and their relationships to one another are an endless source of fascination and inspiration. No matter where I am, I find observing human interactions offers endless stories to be seen and re–told. We are a complex, beautiful, frightening species, each with our own unique take on the world. The books I write are just little snippets of life that I’ve experienced, either through my own life, or the lives of others, that I allow to percolate in mind until a new story pours out.

Your books are known to be sexy page–turners. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching; what advice do you have for couples who want to keep the romance alive?

Nothing is more romantic than being emotionally bonded with your partner, and nothing fosters emotional bonding better than good communication (aside from maybe being in a life–or–death situation together). That’s the easy, on–the–surface answer. To look beneath the surface, however, I think it’s important to understand what good communication is and how it can be achieved. I believe it starts with self–awareness, with being in touch with how you feel, and why you feel that way, so that you are not blindly reacting to your partner, but can aid your partner in understanding you. Naturally, this helps you to understand your partner in return.

Good communication and emotional bonding require opening yourself up to your partner, and that’s something you can only do once you understand who you are. Achieve this, I think, and your relationship will survive the trials and tribulations life will inevitably throw at you, not to mention the transition from passionate love to committed love. And for my money, there’s nothing more romantic than that.

What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m nearing completion of my fourth novel, Exploits, which is the first in a four–book series I’ve titled Sex & Secrets. Sunny Drysdale, the heroine of Exploits, is a publicity–shy author who finds herself saddled with a dead body, which she is trying to hide until she can return it to the rival author who dropped it on her doorstep… and hoping to accomplish this task before her new boyfriend, the Police Chief of Delray Beach, finds out what she’s involved in.

Exploits will be followed by [three more books], Whispers, Delicious and Sanctuary. In each of these stories, the hero and/or heroine is hiding something from the other which, if found out, could destroy their romance. As in my previous books, there is also plenty of lying, scheming, despicable characters, dangerous situations and a body count. Needless to say, I’m having great fun!